A little Paulus in all of us

Monday

Apr 27, 2009 at 12:01 AMApr 27, 2009 at 9:36 AM

PUCKO'S PERSPECTIVES

Bill Pucko, columnist

He’s back where it all began, looking for a second chance.

Greg Paulus graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse in 2005. He had it made. He was a quarterback in big demand, the best in the country, some said. Notre Dame wanted him. Miami wanted him. So did Syracuse and everyplace in between.

But Paulus decided he wanted to play basketball at Duke for Coach K. It was his passion.
We all thought he was crazy, though we certainly respected the decision. We once had passion, too. And dreams. Along with visions of saving the world. Four years later it was enough to find a satisfying job paying a living wage. It seemed a fair trade for most of us.

And that’s where Paulus is today. He had a good, not a great, basketball career. As a senior he saw his minutes diminish. There appears to be little future for him in the game as a player at the next level.

Privately he must have doubts that he made the right choice. So he’s doing what any of us would. With a year of remaining college eligibility, Paulus is trying to get his football career back. Duke — already committed to a veteran quarterback — is willing to give him a look at wide receiver.

Quarterback-challenged Michigan listened when he showed up to watch a practice and offered to try him out. Hometown Syracuse remains an option. He even talked to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.

The odds are long against this working out for Paulus. God bless him for trying. You’d expect his old high school coach at CBA to be unequivocally supportive, but even he hedged his bets a bit.
Quoted on CBS Sportsline.com, Joe Casamento said last week in regard to Greg’s much anticipated to visit to Syracuse in search of a tryout, “If he doesn’t win it (the starting quarterback job), he’ll put a lot of pressure on whoever’s in front of him to be great because he’s a competitor.”

Paulus will likely be told sooner rather than later that this ship has passed. He’ll accept the news gracefully, surrender with dignity, and then he’ll disappear.

Maybe he’ll resurface as a successful big-time basketball coach. Maybe he’ll find another way to “save the world.” That Duke education will come in more than a little bit handy.

Welcome to the real world, kid. Greg Paulus is going to be OK.

Bill Pucko is a Messenger Post columnist and senior sports anchor at R-News on Time Warner Cable.